“We functioned. We remained committed to each other. But how was it that we felt so disconnected when permanently connected by a shared tragedy?”
Source: Hit Hard: One Family's Journey of Letting Go of What Was--and Learning to Live Well with What Is
“When the wicked plot against the righteous, fueled by jealousy and hatred, God turns their destruction back upon themselves, for He is the shield of the upright and the defender of the innocent.”
“When a loss is ambiguous, no public ceremony acknowledges the loss and its fallout, or honors the memory of the loved one. It was true for us. People still were unsure how to respond to the endlessness of our unique form of loss. Should they grieve with us or pretend life was fine now that Zach had lived through it all? Would we resent it if they didn't mention the injury, or if they did?”
Source: Hit Hard: One Family's Journey of Letting Go of What Was--and Learning to Live Well with What Is
“Ambiguous disappointment often accompanies ambiguous loss. For so long we disappointed each other--drawing close when the other needed space, keeping our distance when the other needed closeness, misreading each other's cues about whether an incident was comedic or catastrophic in the other's opinion, misjudging which of our children needed us most at any given moment.”
Source: Hit Hard: One Family's Journey of Letting Go of What Was--and Learning to Live Well with What Is
“You are supposed to know which door to knock on, that I will open it.”
Source: Keep This to Yourself
“No one knows what to do now, so we stay in Room 8 for too long, standing close as people come and go. We watch the horses.”
Source: Keep This to Yourself
“I add him to seventy-two-thousand and subtract him from me.”
Source: Keep This to Yourself
“When this wave comes over me and I feel the hollow in my heart that's been there ever since my mum died. Loss does that to you, hits you out of the blue. You can be in the car or in class or at the movies, laughing and having a good time, and suddenly it's as if someone has reached directly into the wound and squeezed with all their might.”
Source: Holding Up the Universe
“Space shuttle Challenger was a total loss on its 10th flight.”
“Space shuttle Columbia was a total loss on its 28th flight.”